On Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at approximately noon, the Portsmouth Police Department was notified that a 16 year old who had been at Seacoast Mental Health on Sagamore Avenue, left there abruptly on foot. It was reported that the boy was suicidal and a danger to himself.

Members of the Patrol and Detective divisions, including Officer Michael Kotsonis and K-9 Titan, began a search of the immediate area. The ‘A Child is Missing’ protocol was activated by the Portsmouth Police Department, and dispatchers fielded phone calls from the public regarding this case in addition to handling regular calls for service.

The ‘A Child is Missing’ protocol, which has been in effect since March of 2006 in Portsmouth, utilizes a rapid response telephone system to alert residents in a targeted area about a missing child, elderly person or mentally challenged or disabled individual. Recipients are asked to call police with information about the missing person that is given. This protocol differs from Amber Alert, which is only used in child abduction cases.

After an intensive search of the area and follow-up investigation, the boy was located back at his residence in Portsmouth by Detective Robert Munson, after the boy crawled through a back window. The boy was transported to the hospital for evaluation, and he appeared to be unharmed.